Melodies as an Indicator of the Reception and Oral
Tradition of Broadside Ballads
in Moravia and Silesia
Ethnomusicology of the Research into Czech Broadside Ballads
Věra Frolcová
The Institute of Ethnology Czech Academy of Sciences
Two existences of the broadside ballad – two phenomena:
print and singing, or oral interpretation and memory. Conjunction of the
production and the reproduction concept of the research into the songOpava [1860]. Mariánské Hory version1941
Broadside Ballads Melodies. Subject and Questions
• What are the musical characteristics of broadside-ballad singing in Moravia and in Silesia?
• Does the synthesis of broadside ballads and folk melodics of the regions of Moravia and Silesia occur?
• To what extent does apply Karel Konrád´s idea about the continuity of old-Czech singing in some of the regions of Moravia and Silesia after reforms of Emperor Joseph II at the end of the 18th and in the 19th century?
The broadside ballad as a subject-matter of ethnomusicology:
heuristics
musical, or more precisely ethnomusicological and hymnographic sources: music notations of broadside-ballad singing recorded through oral
interpretation in manuscripts and printed sources (hymnbooks, songbooks with sacral and profane songs)
melody references of broadsheets and the identification of melodies
contrafacts
organological sources
ethnographic sources (functions and contexts of singing, singers)
The broadside ballad as a subject-matter of ethnomusicology:
Starting Points for the Research into Melodies
Two ethnomusical styles in Moravia and in Silesia
„Western style“ of songs. Major-minor harmonic system
„Eastern style“ of songs. Modal elements in nonharmonic and harmonic series of tones
The broadside ballad as a subject-matter of ethnomusicology:
Methodology Applied for the Research into Melodies
diachronous research into particular types of songs. Retrospective context methods and comparison of variants
determination of model types of the reception, and of music-style layers of broadside ballads´ melodies based on folklore sources
musical and ethnographic characteristics of the collection as a whole
The Methods of the Monograph of a Single Song,
or a Single Type of Song. The Retrospective Context Method
dates
provenience
source
incipit
of the text
melodystroph.scheme
metrorhythmic
structure, form
tonality …
medium function
context
Examples of Broadside Ballads Reception and the Tradition
of Their Melodies in Moravia and Silesia
Melody as an indicator of regional reception. Broadsheets from the 17th through 19th centuries
Regional types of melodies
Adaption of a melody to the “eastern style“ of folk songs
A melody called dance holy melody. Profane dance melodies
Melody as an indicator of area international reception. Broadsheets from the 19th century
A melody of Czech profane song in pilgrimage repertoire
Melody as an indicator of inter-confessional relations.
Long-term traditions of melodies
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Regional type of melody. The song of Lazarus (1697–1968)Proskovice version 1937
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Regional type of melody. The song of Lazarus (1697–1968)Proskovice version 1937
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Regional types of melody. The song of Lazarus (1697–1968)
dates
provenience
incipit of the text melody
stroph. scheme
medium
1968 Svratka Leželť jest Lazar
v nemoci
notation
8a8a8a
oral tradition
1937 Proskovice Ležel jest Lazar
v nemoci
notation
8a8a8a8a
oral tradition
1900 Líšeň K boháčovi Lazar
přišil
notation
8a8a8b
oral tradition
1876 Skalica Ležel Lazar
v nemoci
broadsheets
1859 [Morava] Ležel Lazar
v nemoci
notation
7a7a7b7b
oral tradition
1859 Příborsko Na mšu svatu
zvonili
notation
7a7a7a7b
oral tradition
[1765–1798?]
Skalica
Ležel Lazar
v nemoci
broadsheets
1763 Olomouc Ležel Lazar
v nemoci
It has its own
melody
broadsheets
1697 Praha Ležel Lazar
v nemoci
It has its own
special melody
broadsheets
convolute
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
The melody adaptation into the „eastern style“ of folk songs:
the descending mixolydian seventh and the tritone in melody
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Medium: broadsheets [1761]
[1761] The third song to the Virgin Mary
Sicut Buď pozdravená blahoslavená
Convolute
(1748–1860)
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Medium: hand-written hymnal 1768
Hand-written hymnalJoanes Jozef Pomykal
1768 Boršice
Another (song) about the Virgin Mary.The same melody
[Buď pozdravená blahoslavená]
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Regional types of melody. Hymn to the Virgin Mary
(1663–1893)dates
provenience
incipit of the text melody
stroph. scheme
medium
function
1893 Velká
nad Veličkou
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
notation
5a5a 6b6b 6c
oral tradition
pilgrimage song
1859
[Morava]
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
notation
5a5a 6b6c
oral tradition
1855, 1852
Bečák
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
notation
5a5a6b6b6b
printed
hymnbook
[1761–1798]
Olomouc
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
Sicut Buď pozdravená blahoslavená
broadsheets
1768
Boršice
Joanes Jozef
Pomykal
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
Sicut Buď pozdravená blahoslavená5 5 6 6 [6]
hand-written
hymnal
1719
Božan
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
notation
5a5a 6b6b 6c
printed
hymnbook
1701
Litomyšl
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
Sicut Buď
pozdravená
broadsheets
1663
[Telč]
Matičko Boží
nebeské zboží
notation
5a5a 6b6b 6c
hand-written
hymnal
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.
Profane dance melody and spiritual singing.
Song of the Ascension of Jesus. Praha 1798.
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.Profane dance melody Hnalo děvče krávy. Proskovice version 1933
Melody as an indicator of regional reception.Profane dance melody, called taněc.
Younger broadsheets (late 18th century and 19th century)
dates
provenience
incipit of the text melody
stroph. scheme
medium
function, context
1941
Proskovice
Pochválený budiž
od nás Kristus
Ježíš
¾ dance melody
taněc
6a6b 6a6a 6b
oral tradition
spiritual singing
1941
Proskovice
Poslechněte lidé,
co budu zpívati
¾ dance melody
taněc
6a6b 6a6a 6b
oral tradition
spiritual singing
1938
Proskovice
Když milý Pan
Ježíš na nebe
vstupoval
¾ dance melody
taněc
6a6b 6a6a 6b
oral tradition
spiritual singing
1937
Proskovice
Panenka Maria po
světě chodila
¾ dance melody
taněc
6a6b 6a6b 6b
oral tradition
spiritual singing
1933
Proskovice
Hnalo děvče krávy
z Uher do
Moravy
¾ dance melody
taněc
6a6b 6a6a 6c
oral tradition
couple dance,
profane
instrumental
music
Melody as an indicator of international area reception.An adaptation of a Czech melody of a profane folk song
in pilgrimage singing
Melody as an indicator of international area reception.Melody Bude vojna bude 1772 – [1992]
dates
provenience
incipit of the text melody
stroph. scheme
medium
function, contex
1992
Břeclav
Vinšované jaro,ó nebeský ráji
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6c
oral tradition
pilgrim. to the V. Mary
1991
Zychcice, Horní
Slezsko
Najświętsza Panienkapo świece chodziła
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
Christmas carol
1981
Záblatie, Slovensko
Chodila Márija po širokom svete
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
Christmas carol
1941
Mariánské Hory
Na frýdecké hoře krásná pěkná růže
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
pilgrim. to the V. Mary
1941
Mariánské Hory
Křesťanská dušičko, rozmýšlej maličko
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
St. Ignac
1933
Ruda na Moravě
Když milý Pán Ježíš na nebe vstupoval
notation
6a6av 6b6b 6c
oral tradition
of the Ascension of Jezus
1873
Krakovsko, Polsko
Słysałem ślicny glos, Maryja woła nas
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
pilgrim. to the V. Mary
1861
Čechy
Bude vojna budeKdo tam na ni pude
notation
6a6a 6b6b 6a
oral tradition
profane ballad
1772
Brno
Má duše schovej se nepřítel blíží se
Jako
Bude vojna bude
broadsheets
pilgrim. to the V. Mary
Melody as an indicator of international area reception.Pilgrimage song Na frýdecké hoře krásná pěkná růže.
Melody Bude vojna bude. Mariánské Hory version 1941
Song as an indicator of inter-confessional relations.
The Roman-Catholic and the Greek-Catholic Song Culture.
Slavia Latina and Slavia Orthodoxa. The cult of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Maria pod křížem stála
V Brně u Jana Františka Svobody 1707
Maria pod křížem stála
V B. Bystrici 1841
Critical limits and hitherto replies
Limits
Dating and chronology of melodic notations
Hithero replies
In Moravia and Silesia, the synthesis of Moravian folk melodics and broadside ballads occurs only to a lesser extent, namely in the repertoire of folk spiritual songs
The Konrád´s hypothesis about the continuity of old-Czech singing in some places in eastern Moravia seems to be a unity of continuity and discontinuity, and a question of the structural analysis of melodies, not only a question of tonality
Perspectives
Long-term traditions of melodies that penetrate various
media
Hand-written and oral traditions of songs
Regional studies and interdisciplinary cooperation
Field research into present-day spiritual singing
Thank you for your attention
